The Nativity - Fra Bartolommeo

The Nativity - Fra Bartolommeo
Ethel T. Scarborough Fund; John G. Searle Family Trust, L. L. and A. S. Coburn, Mr. and Mrs. Lester King, John and Josephine Louis, Samuel A. Marx, Alexander McKay, Chester D. Tripp, and Murray Vale endowment funds; purchased with funds provided by Marilynn Alsdorf, Anne Searle Bent, David and Celia Hilliard, Alexandra and John Nichols, Mrs. Harold T. Martin, Mrs. George B. Young in memory of her husband, and the Rhoades Foundation; gift of John Bross and members of the Old Masters Society in memory of Louise Smith Bross; through prior gift of the George F. Harding, Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Kimball, Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson, and Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester collections
European Art Paintings
"The Nativity" by Fra Bartolommeo (1504–7) Oil on panel.

Commentary

Commentary

"The Nativity" by Fra Bartolommeo (1504–7) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. Its painted surface guides your eye through color, brushwork, and contrast rather than through narrative alone. Themes to noti ce include Renaissance, painting. This piece is held in the source collection's Painting and Sculpture of Europe collection. Fra Bartolommeo is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Fra Bartolommeo (Baccio della Porta; Italian, 1472-1517). The work is cataloged within a Italy cultural context. It is associated with the Renaissance period. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as painting, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Oil on panel) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (34 × 24.5 cm (13 3/8 × 9 5/8 in.); Framed: 52.7 × 35.6 cm (20 3/4 × 14 1/16 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include Renaissance, painting. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/184371
Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data